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At Walmart today, I purchased the above items and paid a total of $2.46. Deals like this abound at Walmart when you have the right coupons, and I know many people love shopping there because of such deals and the ability to price-match from other stores’ ads.

You would think the appeal of getting such good deals would make shopping at Walmart worth it. But I have yet to be impressed enough to shop there regularly. Even with the above deal, the experience I went through to get it just reiterated my dislike of Walmart. The store was packed, check-out was slow, my coupons didn’t scan right at self check-out, and it took forever for someone to come enter them by hand. The employees were nice about it, but it was a big hassle.

When I first got married and was trying to keep our groceries under budget, I shopped frequently at Walmart. I hadn’t learned much about weekly grocery circulars and coupons yet, and they did often have the lowest non-sale price on items. But as I have gotten more into using coupons matched to sales, I have been able to completely cut Walmart out of my weekly grocery shopping route. And I don’t miss it at all.

Here are the reasons Walmart does not appeal to me as a budget shopper:

I can get the same or better deals at other stores using coupons matched to sales. Since I have stopped shopping at Walmart, my grocery budget has actually gotten lower and I do a better job of managing it. I know this isn’t solely from cutting out Walmart; I have also been learning more about how to save and find deals. However, this reminds me that I don’t have to shop at Walmart to keep my budget on track. I have several other options, namely Aldi and Target.

I have not found Walmart to be coupon-friendly. I know this probably varies by store, but I have encountered many problems, such as their refusing to take printable coupons (which their policy says they accept). Coupons also frequently scan incorrectly at self-checkout, which adds more time to my shopping trip as I wait for the cashier to come check my purchases and enter my coupon codes by hand. This usually doesn’t result in a pleasant cashier (although some are). And finally, Walmart does not double coupons, so I prefer to use my good coupons at Kroger.

Price-matching is a hassle. Each time I’ve tried to price-match, the cashier was incredibly frustrated at me and one was downright rude. Both times I left upset, embarrassed and a little angry (okay, quite angry at the rude one). Again, I know this is a subjective reason, but it has been my experience.

Walmart is messy and crowded. The shopping experience is not the most important aspect of a store, but it is somewhat important. If I am harried and harassed while shopping, I am not in a good frame of mind for the rest of the day. I always feel that way when I leave Walmart. Things are hard to find, out of place, and there are a million other people trying to shop alongside me. Other stores are arranged better, organized and tidy, and not so crowded.

Walmart is not convenient to my home. This is a small reason, perhaps, but it takes me at least 15 minutes to get to the nearest Walmart. The other grocery stores I shop at are within five minutes or less of my home. With gas prices being what they are and my time already being overtaxed, I prefer to stay closer to home. Especially when the drive doesn’t result in spectacular savings.

I know that many of you will not think these reasons enough to leave Walmart, and I don’t blame you because you can get some great deals there. But for those of you who get constantly frustrated at this store, know that there are other ways to manage your grocery budget! I stopped shopping at Walmart months ago, and don’t miss it one bit!